Jaina hadn’t expected to find Elan standing alone in the hangar. She didn’t know where Vergere was, but that wasn’t
so important now.

Her danger sense almost made her shiver.

Cautiously she moved deeper into the hangar, raising her deactivated lightsaber. She needed space.

Elan turned around to face her, an evil smile spread across her face. Then she reached up with her hand and touched the skin
close to her nose. The false skin – an ooglith armor – started to peel away. A scarred and heavily tattooed, but
still strangely attractive face appeared underneath.

“No….”, Jag decided when he turned around the next corner and hastily jumped back into the corridor he’d
come from. Blaster fire burned the walls at the place he’d been just seconds before.

So far they had only run into Peace Brigaders and not into Jaina Solo.

Vergere preferred to stay behind the humans. They actually weren’t that bad. At least they could aim.

The girl that looked like a walking blaster-rifle took down Peace Brigaders almost faster than she, Vergere, could look. She
was even better than the boy, though he beat her when it came to aiming.

And there was something else about them.

Their stance, the look in their eyes….it told Vergere something, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

The scar-face grabbed her arm and rushed with her into another corridor, away from the blaster fire. Three Peace Brigaders
lay dead on the ground in front of them, killed by the trigger-happy girl.

Then a single shot hit the girl. She fell to the ground, the wound on her leg slightly smoking. But even as she fell, she
still managed to take out her attacker.

The boy appeared frozen for a brief second, but then ran up to her.

He caught her before she hit the ground.

And then Vergere knew it. She knew what made them so strong. It was the same with Jaina. She now knew what had made the young
Jedi so strong and so different from the Jedi of the old Order.

Love, Vergere thought astonished.

The boy had totally forgotten about her. He only cared for the girl now; held her close and touched her face tenderly.

* * *

Jaina called on the force to hold her breath.

She watched Elan drop to the ground while gas still streamed out of her mouth.

She had to hold on.

Hold on.

Just a little bit more.

* * *

You can shoot me more often, Anni thought, lying in Jag’s strong arms.

“We’ll retreat to the hangar”, Jag told her.

“Why?”, Anni asked, not wanting to leave his arms yet.

“You’re in no condition to fight.”, Jag reminded her.

She didn’t care. It didn’t hurt. Not with him around.

* * *

Han had just picked up a heavily cussing Showolter.

No, Han was definitely not happy.

Neither was Showolter. He’d told Han everything, before the former smuggler had safely stored the officer in
a cabin. Finally, Han could relax a little bit. Talking to Showolter had cost him his last bit of patience.

He had taken out enough of the Peace Brigade’s ships to make sure they stayed out of his way.
Now he could finally return to the docking bay.

His sensors picked up something odd, though. The air in the hangar was poisoned.

Han frowned. He keyed the comm for the room Showolter was in and told the other one not to come out. Not that Han seriously
expected Showolter to be able to break the seal. After all, Han had put it on the room.

He gently put down the Falcon and pulled out the two oxygen masks he’d gotten from his sons. Briefly, he wondered how
they’d known.

Then he saw Jaina, slowly sinking to the ground, her face white, and everything else became unimportant.

* * *

Jaina felt herself falling and couldn’t help it.

Her blood was rushing loudly in her ears.

Familiar arms pulled her up and pressed an oxygen mask onto her face. It took a second till she realized what that meant.

Air.

Fresh, clean air came out of the mask and she drew a deep breath, releasing her fear.

Then, she reached out with her mind and pushed the air-lock of the hangar open while she held herself and her father in place
with the force.

The air was sucked out of the hangar and into deep space.

And with it, it took Elan.

Sealing the hangar again, she remained in her father’s embrace a bit longer and just enjoyed the feeling of being safe.
Of being cared for.
Of being loved.